A calm sea shining at sunrise below bare desert mountains; on the wet sand in the foreground lies a round wooden frame drum.

The Book of

Exodus 15

The morning after the sea. The army is gone, the shore is quiet, and a whole nation finds its voice for the first time.

27 verses≈ 5 min2 peopleBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

1–6Slaves in EgyptOppression and a deliverer
7–13The plaguesThe LORD against Pharaoh
14–18Through the seaRescued and ledChapter 15
19–24At SinaiThe covenant and the law
25–31A place to dwellThe tabernacle planned
32–40Broken and renewedThe calf, mercy, the glory

The Song at the Sea

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:

“I will sing to the LORD,

for He is highly exalted.

The horse and rider

He has thrown into the sea.

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Exodus 15:2

The LORD is a warrior,

the LORD is His name.

The enemy declared,

‘I will pursue, I will overtake.

I will divide the spoils;

I will gorge myself on them.

I will draw my sword;

my hand will destroy them.’

But You blew with Your breath,

and the sea covered them.

They sank like lead

in the mighty waters.

Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?

Exodus 15:11

You stretched out Your right hand,

and the earth swallowed them up.

Reflect

Who is like You?

Israel stood on the shore and asked a question that had only one answer: “Who among the gods is like You, O LORD?” They sang about what they had just seen with their own eyes. Think of one thing God has done for you that you could not have done yourself. Write two short lines of praise about it, the way Moses did: what God did, and who that shows Him to be.

From a bare desert ridge at dawn, the far hill country rises in layer after layer of green and blue under the first light.

With loving devotion You will lead

the people You have redeemed;

with Your strength You will guide them

to Your holy dwelling.

The nations will hear and tremble;

anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia.

Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed;

trembling will seize the leaders of Moab;

those who dwell in Canaan will melt away,

and terror and dread will fall on them.

By the power of Your arm

they will be as still as a stone

until Your people pass by, O LORD,

until the people You have bought pass by.

You will bring them in and plant them

on the mountain of Your inheritance—

the place, O LORD, You have prepared for Your dwelling,

the sanctuary, O Lord, Your hands have established.

The LORD will reign forever and ever!”

0:44

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

The LORD will reign forever and ever!

Exodus 15:18

For when Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.

Miriam

Miriam

Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang back to them:

“Sing to the LORD,

for He is highly exalted;

the horse and rider

He has thrown into the sea.”

Question

Quick question

When the song was over, the women took it up with tambourines and dancing.

Who led the women with a tambourine?

Stylised map · locations approximate

On the map

Three days without water

From the sea, Moses led Israel into the Desert of Shur, in the northwest of the Sinai peninsula, and south along the coast to Marah and then Elim. The dashed line is one proposed route. Marah is traditionally placed at Ain Hawarah and Elim at the Wadi Gharandel, but both sites are uncertain, and so is the place of the crossing.

The Waters of Marah

Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the Desert of Shur. For three days they walked in the desert without finding water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is why it was named Marah.)

So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”

And Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log. And when he cast it into the waters, they were sweetened.

There the LORD made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them,

saying, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His eyes, and pay attention to His commands, and keep all His statutes, then I will not bring on you any of the diseases I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

For I am the LORD who heals you.

Exodus 15:26

Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the waters.

Pray

Bring Him the bitter water

Three days after singing on the shore, Israel stood at a pool they could not drink. The people grumbled; Moses “cried out to the LORD.” The same God who parted the sea sweetened the water, and said, “I am the LORD who heals you.” Name the bitter place in your life right now. Instead of complaining about it, cry out to Him about it, and ask Him to do what only He can do.

You’ve experienced

Exodus 15

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A verse to carry with you

The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

Exodus 15:2

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